A black cat's tale
by Sootwhisker
Summary: A black cat is, generally, regarded as unlucky. Sootkit, a young tom from Streamclan, tests that superstition. Join the journey of his life and insights into the sometimes tested relationships between him, his clan, family and friends as well as the destiny that Starclan has set out for him.
1. Chapter One - Birth

**CHAPTER ONE - BIRTH**

The morning had been cold; foreboding of snow, before any of it had hit the forest. Despite that, the sun was bright, beaming down on those beneath it. Birds were singing as they always did, their melodies alerting the residents down on the ground that it was dawn once more. The camp came to life as the dawn patrols began to gather sleepily in the middle of the clearing, murmuring amongst themselves as they waited to leave. Everything was rather quiet, until the serenity was disturbed - a loud voice, booming from the nursery,

"Mossfoot! It's happening!"

Almost as soon as she had been summoned, an old little she cat emerged from her den. The clan's medicine cat, beloved to generations. Her grey paws worked their way over to the nursery, preoccupied only when she was wished good luck or good morning - but not once did she stop, acknowledging their comments with short nods. The warriors gathered for their patrols watched her make her way to the nursery, a happy atmosphere filling the air. There would be more mouths to feed, but also more warriors to serve the clan. Outside the nursery sat a tom, looking to her. She smiled at him before entering, making her way over to the tortoiseshell queen that was sprawled on her nest.

"Well isn't this a pleasant start to my day. How are you feeling, Larkflower?" She chirped to the queen, dropping her bundle of herbs beside her in an almost perfectly practiced routine.

"Nervous." The queen confessed with a soft laugh, the medicine cat offering her a warm smile as she picked up leaves and tore them up with the help of her claws. She then nudged the pile towards the she cat, encouraging her to eat them. Larkflower did as she was meant to do, lapping up the leaves. She scrunched up her nose in a disgusted manner, the queens surrounding her giving a knowing laugh.

"Aren't they all. I'd be more surprised if you weren't." Larkflower let an amused snort leave her nose as she adjusted herself in her nest, Mossfoot nudging a stick towards her mouth.

"Just incase the pain gets a bit much. How many kits do we bet there is?" Mossfoot asked loudly, leaning back from the queen and glancing towards the queens either side of her. One of them, a smaller cream cat, shrugged her shoulders then commented confidently,

"I've said four, since day one."

"Four? How big do you think I am?" The labouring queen joked, then gritted her teeth to pass a contraction.

"I think there's...Two." The other queen added as she moved her three kits out of the way of the medicine cat, their little groans of protest making her laugh softly.

"That's not a bad guess." Mossfoot told the brown she cat, looking back down to Larkflower after she'd spoken. "You're doing fantastic, just keep going."

"I've been dreading this." She confessed mid pant, the older cat smiling fondly as they glanced at each other.

"Don't speak, just push. I remember your mother, when she gave birth to you. I was sat here, waiting, then out you came. Such a strong pair of little lungs, Starclan themselves must've heard you."

"She would've been so excited to meet them. I miss her."

"We all do." Mossfoot's voice had dropped to something just above a whisper, a soft smile on her face as she remembered the she cat fondly. "I'll quickly go and fetch something I've left in my den - I won't be long." The old cat slunk out of the den slowly, though she hadn't managed to go far.

"Mossfoot, is she ok?" A frantic voice had asked. It belonged to the tom that had been waiting - a silver tabby, his amber eyes wavering over the entrance of the den. He was a father for the first time, his young mate inside giving birth. The medicine cat had softly laughed, out of habit. She had seen many kits born in her seasons, as well as many anxious fathers.

"Everything is fine, don't worry." She had told him sincerely, then shouldered her way over to her den quickly. She retrieved what she needed, then hurriedly returned into the nursery and focused her attention on the she cat in front of her. The queen was in obvious pain, but she kept quiet, waiting for it to be over. There were pants, groans and worried questions from kits in the nursery concerned about her wellbeing - until there were shrill cries. Each cat breathed a sigh of relief. The kits had arrived - loudly, no less than she had expected. The medicine cat smiled at the small kits as they wriggled their way towards their mother's stomach, "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted, but nothing sleep can't help with." The two nodded and smiled, turning their attentions to the kits. One calico and a smaller black one. The other queens in the nursery purred as they welcomed two new members of the clan, listening to the grunts from the newborns. The medicine cat stood up and slunk out of the den, squeezing through the gap. When she was outside she offered a grin to the father, her old eyes bright.

"Two healthy kits - a son and daughter. Congratulations Troutsplash, you're now officially a father." A great laugh erupted from the tom's mouth as she told him the news, purring. She flicked her tail tip towards the entrance, gesturing for him to enter. He slowly entered in and she followed, a warmth in her chest as she saw the tom rub his face against his mate's. "I bet you're happy."

"More than you can imagine, these two are all I could've hoped for."

"Do you have names in mind?" The cream furred queen asked as she curled up in her nest beside the family, flicking her tail over her sole sleeping kit. How he had slept through the commotion, they didn't know.

"For her, Dapplekit...Him, I am not so sure." The queen brought a tongue over the little she cat as she announced her name, purring as she squeaked in surprise. Troutsplash stared at his son for a moment before he exclaimed, looking up to the faces staring at him in the nursery.

"He is small! What about Smallkit?" He beamed, almost as though he was about to be rewarded for his contribution. Mossfoot laughed softly, flicking the tom's paws playfully with the tip of her tail. He appeared lost for a moment, looking back to his mate.

"No, that's not him." Larkflower told him rather shortly, gazing at the kits suckling at her stomach affectionately. Mossfoot too studied the little kits, leaning in ever so slightly before she sat back up once more.

"He looks just like soot, be careful not to lose him in the dark." The medicine cat mused half to herself, raising a paw to clean it. As she rasped her tongue over her pads, the mother beside her thought out loud.

"Soot…" Larkflower murmured, then looked to Troutsplash quickly and almost instantly the two exchanged a smile that was telling of what was on both of their minds. As easy as that. Soot, it turned out, was perfect.


	2. Chapter Two - Kithood

**CHAPTER TWO - KITHOOD**

* * *

The most comforting scent was that of my mother's. A mixture of flowers and milk, something that when I smelt it was able to soothe the most severe of issues. When I first opened my eyes, there were a green pair staring straight back. It had been strange - an eternity it felt of darkness, then suddenly an instinct seemed to kick in. One that told me I needed to open my eyes. It took a little while of trying but eventually a world that had been hidden from me right underneath my nose was revealed. Oh, how brilliant everything seemed. The brightness of daylight had been so welcomed, a stark contrast to the darkness I had lived in barely moments before. Our den, the nursery, was practically all green with the pelts of the queens and their kits providing difference. As I had moved my little head around, there was one thing in particular that caught my attention. Two round, green eyes, never leaving me for one moment. It was my mother.

"Hello, Sootkit." She purred, her voice smooth and soft. Her tongue rasped over my ears despite my pitiful protests, her soft face spread into a smile at the noise. Beside me there was a wriggling mass, something I learnt to be my sister. It was so bizarre to finally understand what was going on around me whilst I had been temporarily blind. The other queens watched me with smiles on their faces, talking to my mother, but I did not care for what they had to say. I was tired. I nudged my sister out of the way as she suckled, crawling towards my mother's paws. It was a challenge, my weak legs trembling as I pulled myself closer. Soon enough though I had made it to the sanctuary, her two front paws. Exhaustion relaxed my little body and I lowered my chin onto her closest paw, yawning. Almost as soon as I had opened my eyes I had closed them once more, drifting off into a sleep.

* * *

The nursery was one of the warmest dens. It was easy to get comfortable and sleep, for moons it seemed for some. Our nest was a mess of moss and feathers we had collected from outside, but not bugs. We had been warned against that trick by our mother after Perchkit had hid worms in his nest. Dapplekit began to stir at my side, her little mouth opening into a yawn as she woke. We always slept close together, out of comfort but also as convenience as we kept each other warm. She glanced to me with tired eyes, opening them slowly. I leant in and licked her nearest ear, the calico purring quietly.

"Do you want to go and play?"

"Yeah!" After she had excitedly stood up, I stood up and approached where Perchkit's mother, Berryfur, slept. I tried to move about as quietly as I possibly could and leant into Perchkit, whispering,

"Perchkit, are you coming to play?" He initially didn't hear the question, so I poked him with one of my paws. The tabby groaned and turned to face me, a displeased expression on his face. I repeated the question to him again and the tom seemed to think about it for a moment before he nodded with a grin and slipped out of his mother's embrace. We both hesitated for a moment as we watched Berryfur move, holding our breaths. She remained asleep to our relief, so we quickly tumbled out of the nursery.

"Aha!" Dapplekit had shouted when we emerged, surprising the two of us. We both cried out in surprise, the calico kit laughing loudly at our reactions.

"That wasn't funny." Perchkit told her gruffly, shaking down his pelt and looked away from her.

"Yeah, I wasn't even scared." I told her and held my head up high to attempt to reinforce my point. When I looked to her, she rolled her eyes and stuck out her little pink tongue. I stuck out my tongue at her and she huffed, looking to Perchkit instead.

"What are we going to play, then?"

"Mossball?" The tom at my side suggested, which I shrugged in response to as I had no reason to oppose the game.

"No. I always lose, it's not fun." She meowed whilst scrunching her nose up, Perchkit and I glancing briefly to each other. "What about clan-!"

"Dibs on Reedstar! Well, Perchstar." He had interrupted her quickly before we had chance, a groan coming from my sister as she lost the position she had desired. I was not so bothered - of course, I had wanted to be the leader, but it meant that I got to pretend to be Mossfoot.

"I'll be Mossfoot then! Sootfoot." As soon as I had named myself, Perchkit and Dapplekit began to laugh loudly, repeating the name. I stuck my tongue out at them, then laughed.

"I'll be Dapplesplash." We all nodded before we quickly scrambled about, trying to maintain our positions. Perchkit grumbled to himself as he attempted to find something to stand on.

"I need to gather my supplies." I announced loudly, shredding blades of grass with my little claws to pretend they were herbs. It was only when I looked up with a mouthful of grass I saw the expression on Dapplekit's face. I didn't like it.

"I dare you to ask for a berry from Mossfoot." She whispered, giggling to herself. Perchkit's attention from his search was diverted, the tom laughing with her and nodded, repeating what she had said. I felt my paws grow warm as I glanced to Mossfoot's den nervously. Hopefully the old cat was in a good mood. I put one paw forward and slowly began to approach her den, glancing behind me every so often as my sister and Perchkit followed. It felt like a long walk to her den, although my little mind probably blew it out of proportion. The moss covered front of the den was visible. I took in a deep breath before I shoved my head at the side of her den, then my body followed and I went inside.

"Hello, Sootkit." Mossfoot meowed, glancing to me briefly before focusing on her pile of herbs once more. I glanced behind me to Dapplekit and Perchkit who both nodded encouragingly. I padded closer to the medicine cat until I was right at her side and pressed my head to her nearest front leg. She stopped what she was doing and glanced down at me, lowering her eyelids, "what do you want?"

"W-We're playing clans and I'm playing as you and I need herbs and I was wondering if we could have a berry." I asked her quickly, the grey cat taking a moment before she responded.

"You don't play about with herbs and berries, no. Go and play with the grass instead." The she cat's response made my fur feel warm, as I had been doing exactly that before Dapplekit and Perchkit had encouraged me to come and see her. I lowered my tail and scampered out of the den quickly, the two faces waiting for me outside hopeful. Their faces changed when I appeared, disappointed.

"You didn't get a berry?"

"No." I told Perchkit bluntly, kicking the dirt with my paw briefly. Dapplekit shrugged before she grinned and hopped away from us.

"Quick, there's an invasion!" She wailed, pretending to fight imaginary invaders. Perchkit hurtled after her, laughing as he slipped then groaned loudly, holding up one of his front legs.

"Sootfoot! Sootfoot!" He repeated and I excitedly made my way over to him, standing at his side with wide eyes.

"Oh Perchstar what's wrong?"

"My leg! The invaders have taken my leg!"

"Oh no Perchstar!" I cried out and looked at his leg he had been thrusting in my direction, nodding tightly to myself. "I know exactly what to do." I clawed at the grass, then bent down and picked up a few blades I had managed to break off. I then leant over his leg and dropped them on his leg, the tom briefly glancing to me in confusion. "Perfect." We both then laughed loudly. I looked around where we stood and caught sight of something small and black moving along the ground - a beetle. My eyes wandered between the beetle and my sister.

"Be careful Dapple..." I looked to her and the she cat glanced over at me. When she did, I whispered, "what's your name again?"

"Dapplesplash, like dad!" She told me in a loud whisper, her eyes expanding excitedly as she did so. Both of our eyes drew to the beetle that was nearing us, mine darting to Dapplekit with a gasp.

"Ok. Be careful Dapplesplash, he might chew your paws off!" My sister gave a great shriek, rearing away from the beetle that had been scuttling about without bother. I laughed loudly as she did, as did Perchkit, circling the beetle as it tried to avoid me. She hopped quickly towards my mother who, a moment or so ago, had emerged from the nursery, hiding behind the safety of her long front legs.

"What's the matter?" She asked with a slightly concerned tone - one that knew, with kits, it was most likely unimportant. Dapplekit emerged from behind her legs and stared up at her,

"Sootkit said the beetle might chew my paws off." Dapplekit sniffed, her little face full of worry. Her eyes had become round, staring up at our mother for sympathy. Mum sighed to herself then looked to me with lowered eyelids. Her expressions always spoke louder to me than her words did and usually garnered more response, too.

"It's only a game!" I insisted, hoping she would end the stare. She did, to my relief and bent down to Dapplekit, nuzzling her gently. My sister began to purr, closing her eyes.

"You two need to play nicely together." She told us as she straightened up her posture, the calico kit glancing at me before a great grin spread onto her face and she scampered towards me. How changeable.


	3. Chapter Three - Six moons

**CHAPTER THREE - SIX MOONS**

* * *

Life only seemed to get more exciting when we realised we would have more freedom. The morning of our sixth moon, woken by the songs of birds outside, felt like any other. I yawned as I opened my eyes, glancing to my side to see Dapplepaw staring at me with an excited grin on her face.

"You're happy." I told her, a weird feeling in the back of my mind that I'd forgotten something. She lowered her eyelids and leant in closer.

"We become apprentices today, you mousebrain." Almost as soon as she had started speaking it hit me. I leapt to my paws excitedly, Dapplepaw laughing and hopped up with me.

"We're going to be apprentices!" We squeaked together, suddenly standing still for a moment when we had synchronised. Beside where we stood I heard faint grumbling. I turned to my side and saw my mother, watching us.

"It's about time." Dapplepaw rolled her eyes playfully, purring as our mother stood up beside us. She quickly ran her tongue over both of our heads despite our groaning, a smile on her face. She then flicked her tail tip towards the entrance of the den, encouraging us to follow her out. I squeezed through the gap, noting how much smaller it seemed than when I was a kit. As I watched Reedstar walk out onto the edge of the ledge, there was a rough tongue on my ear. I glanced to my side quickly to see my mother, shaking her head with a soft laugh, "I just want you to look good. You'll be stood in front of the whole clan next to Reedstar, for Starclan's sake." Fair, I thought, as I watched the well groomed tom begin to address the clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the ledge for a clan meeting." He called out, quickly attracting attention from our clanmates. Dapplepaw hopped past me, turning around with a grin on her face. I bounded after her, my heart beginning to race. When we reached the ledge I had to catch my breath as Reedstar glanced towards us with a warm smile, Dapplepaw sighing beside me. She was beckoned first, her skinny tail twitching excitedly as she stood beside the leader.

"Dapplekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dapplepaw. Your mentor will be Birchnose. I hope Birchnose will pass down all he knows on to you." I watched with a warmth in my chest as she and her new mentor pressed their noses together, exchanging smiles with one another. The warmth soon flooded around my body as Reedstar looked towards me and beckoned with his tail to stand beside him, which I did almost instantly. My paws itched as I stood beside him, in awe of the size of him. I didn't take my eyes off of the tom as he spoke, until he turned to me and offered me a throaty chuckle.

"Sootkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sootpaw. Your mentor will be Codwhisker. I hope Codwhisker will pass down all he knows on to you." A silver tom shouldered his way beside me, his young features lighting up as I glanced to him. I felt a sense of comfort as he did, smiling at him. He leant in and pressed his nose to mine, then stepped back to stand beside Birchnose.

"Dapplepaw! Sootpaw!" Our names were chanted loudly by our clanmates, each of them staring up at us with expectations already on our shoulders. We were the new generation of warriors to help protect our clan and produce the next warriors. Out of the crowd, there were familiar voices. My mother - sat next to my father, the two of them shooting proud grins at Dapplepaw and I. The calico cat beside me leant in and whispered,

"We're apprentices now - we can _finally_ go outside of camp. What do you think we'll find?" I shrugged, hopping down the ledge we had stood on and landed on the grass, glancing behind me as I waited for Dapplepaw.

"That's _all_ you're excited about? Hopefully something interesting. We'll be able to hunt - well, if we can. I can't wait to." As I spoke, there was a commotion a few lengths away from where we were stood that seemed to getting louder. Dapplepaw glanced to me with a curious expression on her face, one that I was all too familiar with now, "I wonder what's going on over there."

"Let's go find out instead of standing here." She trotted on without me, her skinny tail swishing with interest as she did so. I followed her closely, flanking her. We both stood still when we arrived to the small crowd, staring at a tom stood on top of one of the old stumps. He looked young, with a loud voice. I didn't see him very well, but all I needed to know was he was making his opinion known on something. Or so I had thought - he was in reality joking, earning a few laughs out of our clanmates. After a moment or so I felt something against my shoulder - as I turned, Dapplepaw was facing me with her large green eyes, "well this is boring. I'm going to go see mum and dad - you coming?"

"Yeah." A soft laugh came from my mouth before we both stalked away from the stump, although I had glanced back momentarily to catch a last glimpse of the tom. As I did, the tom caught my gaze and offered a grin. Immediately I felt my fur feel as though I had been laying in the sun all day. Sheepishly I turned back quickly and caught up with my sister who had made her way onwards hurriedly, grumbling about not keeping up.

Mum had made us more than aware that she was immensely proud of both of us - when we had approached her in the clearing, she had quickly licked both of our nearest ears and purred. No doubt it had brought back fond memories - ones she had told us and we remembered, from when we were only small kits.

"You're both going to do incredible things." She had told us with a proud and wondrous look in her eyes, nodding as she confirmed her comment. Our father had agreed with her, the tom stood with a grin on his face the entire time.

"It would be incredible if Soot could keep up." Dapplepaw joked lightly, our mother laughing with her at my expense.

"Or if you could slow down." I retorted, although it was admittedly weak. She let me know. She was laying at my side, in the apprentice den. We had sought familiar comforts and moved our nests to be near to each other, along with the nests of our friends - Perchpaw, Cherrypaw and Aspenpaw, who'd all been apprenticed recently. Dapplepaw was fast asleep - it didn't take her long to drop off and it took a lot to wake her up. I looked around us, taking in all of the different cats that lay amongst us. The different pelts - orange, grey, black. The soft breaths from each of them, the quiet purring from one or two as they dreamt. It would be bizarre at first, but after awhile it would be comfortable. My eyes began to grow heavy, which I gave into. We had our first training sessions with our mentors in the morning - so I brought my tail in front of my face and pressed my chin onto the edge of my nest, closing my eyes tightly.


End file.
